The Stephen show: in town after all

Scott:

There is one tinge of irony to the weekend. Southern Conference organizers hoped that Curry would stay at Davidson for his senior year and become the star attraction at this weekend's tournament.

Instead, Curry went pro a year early. Yet he's going to end up being in Charlotte anyway.

“I found out this was going to be a possibility in the fall,” Curry said, “when the schedules all came out. My one trip to Charlotte all season comes at tournament time. It's pretty funny. It's going to be great for me, of course, but it's going to be great for a lot of people besides me, too. A weekend like this just shows how big basketball really is in Charlotte, and how well the city can showcase such a great sport so many of us love.”

Cremins: “Is it inconvenient? In a lot of ways, yes it is.” Iamarino: “I would have preferred if the Warriors to come to Charlotte on a different weekend. Guess I didn't have David Stern's ear on that one.” Stephen: “I'm putting the pressure on my Davidson boys. They better win Friday so I can see them in person Saturday.”

Around the SoCon

Uch in Chattanooga:

Southern Conference commissioner John Iamarino flipped his satellite radio from music to ESPN in time to hear Stephen Curry announce his decision.

The last song Iamarino heard was “The end of the world as we know it,” by R.E.M.

“I really don’t know if that’s some sort of omen,” he said on his way to the SoCon tennis championships.

The conference will continue without its icon.

Curry, a junior All-America guard for Davidson, announced Thursday that he will forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NBA draft. Early projections have him being selected in the first round, possibly as a lottery pick.

“My goal since I can remember has always been to play in the NBA, and that is now a viable opportunity for me,” Curry said. “After weighing my options, I came to the conclusion that it is in my best interest to take hold of that opportunity now.”

Curry has been the most visible, valuable and important player in the conference the last two years and possibly since Jerry West last played in 1960. He became one of the most popular players in the nation while leading the Wildcats to the 2008 Elite Eight and within one bucket of upsetting eventual national champion Kansas.

The Stephen show

Uch:

Just like when any rock/pop/rap star -- from Paul McCartney to Lil’ Wayne -- rises in prominence, Curry will start receiving extra security attention starting this week.

The Davidson bus was set and ready to leave an hour after its game at Georgia Southern, but Curry was still in the gym signing autographs for children.

Iamarino, the SoCon commissioner, said Friday that security for Curry and the Cats has become an issue that nobody in the league has dealt with before.

“Curry is very gracious about signing autographs, but the Davidson AD (Jim Murphy) said, ‘We can’t have him out there for an hour and half, and we’ll need help to make it more orderly,’” Iamarino said, recalling a conversation during recent SoCon meetings in Asheville, N.C.

“They’re nice problems to have,” he added. But it has forced people to think about extra security and protocol to deal with somebody who has become the face of college basketball.”

Tip today at 3

Savannah: “It’s almost like he has a cult following.” Also: Charlotte. Davidson. Georgia Southern.